Tree House
Tree House is a concept design for Lot #62 within the new
Canyon Pines development. The house nestles into a steep hillside lot, which contains many mature pine trees and an impressively massive table-like boulder prominently featured at the downhill edge of the property.
The primary motive behind the design of the home is to channel the wonder of visiting a densely-forested site and translating that feeling into a sequence of lived experiences.
type
Custom Residence
location
Canyon Pines, Arvada, CO
size
6,000 sf
renderings
holzarch
completion
2025
The approach to the home starts with access from the uphill Milner Drive and quickly meanders downwards to the front entry.
The house is laid out in a zig-zag, inspired by the fallen branches that lay on the forested floor of the property. The organizing feature of the home is a main hallway that cuts diagonally across the land, with groups of rooms ‘branching’ off in either direction.
Split levels for each of the two floors step downward in order to allow the inhabitants to follow the natural slope of the land and maintain a close connection to the landscape beyond the walls.
The kitchen is rugged and utilitarian, naturally lit by the southern-facing full-height windows and open living spaces surrounding it. To the south, there is a mix of tree canopy and mile-long views, to the north, a secret courtyard provides a moment of respite and shelter.
Weathering steel and dynamic stone accent the utilitarian functions of cooking and eating. A wood-fired pizza chimney with steel pulley doors is optimal for easy entertaining and located closeby.
Oversized openings and dramatically cantilevered roofs expose living conditions that jut outward from between the trees, like a pine bough reaching out for sunlight.
The secret courtyard is tucked between the high and low living spaces, and is accessed from the main hallway via a steel spiral stair. It’s purpose is to create a space that is easy to visit and feel protected from the elements.
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